Page 2 of The Sound of Sleighbells

A few years later, still in Cottonwood Springs, she’d been working as a waitress when she’d met Ed McCoy. They’d married and moved back to the small farm she’d inherited outside Branding Iron. Good old Ed with his pretty words, volatile temper, and rock-hard fists. At least he’d given her two beautiful daughters.

No more men, Ruth vowed as she broke more eggs into the pan. Maybe not ever. Three tragic relationships were enough. Now that she was free, she would focus on what mattered most, building a better life for herself and her family.

* * *

Skip gazed out the car window at the bleak November countryside as his mother drove him to the Chapman ranch. He looked forward to visiting there. Trevor’s father and stepmother treated him like family. And he always had a good time with his best friend—the friend who’d refused to leave him and flee to safety when Ed was threatening to blow up the old house.

Tammy and Janeen, too young to be left at home, sat in their boosters in the back seat. Dressed in their new winter coats, they’d been singing Christmas songs most of the way. But now they were quiet.

“Do you and Trevor have something special planned for the day?” Ruth asked as she turned off the highway onto the unpaved ranch road.

“Maybe. Trevor said something about visiting a neighbor’s ranch. He’s a man who makes custom saddles. Trevor says he’s made saddles for movie stars, athletes, and lots of other famous people. I’d like to see how he does it.”

“What’s the man’s name?” The car slowed as if Ruth had taken her foot off the gas pedal. Skip noticed how her voice changed. It sounded tense and uneasy.

“Sorry,” he said. “Trevor told me, but I can’t remember. He owns that big Angus ranch a couple of miles from our old place. And he drove the sleigh in last year’s Christmas parade. Trevor says he keeps pretty much to himself, but he’s nice once you get to know him.”

“Well, don’t trouble him too much.” Ruth pressed the gas pedal again, and the old brown station wagon jolted ahead along the bumpy lane. “People who keep to themselves tend to have a reason for it.”

“Like what?”

“Never mind that. He just might not be everything Trevor thinks he is. That’s all.”

Skip was about to ask her more when she swung the car through the ranch gate and pulled up to the Chapman house. Trevor’s stepmother, Jess, had come out on the porch.

“Hello, Ruth,” Jess said, as the side window came down. “Have you and the girls got time to come in? Maggie’s here. We were going to make cookies this morning.”

“Oh, please, Mom!” the girls chimed in from the back seat. They adored Trevor’s eight-year-old cousin, Maggie.

“I’d love to, but I’ve got shopping to do and errands to run,” Ruth said. “If I turn my girls loose in your house, they won’t want to leave. I’ll have a dickens of a time getting them back into the car.”

“Well, why don’t you leave them here while you do your errands?” Jess asked. “I know they love Maggie. Let them have fun while you take some time for yourself. Drive to the mall. Buy yourself a nice lunch. Do some early Christmas shopping. You can pick them up this afternoon when you come to get Skip.”

“That would be asking too much, Jess. My daughters can be a handful. I can take them with me.”

“Please, Mom!” The girls had unbuckled their booster seats and were tugging at their mother’s coat. “Please, we’ll be as good as gold!”

Jess laughed. “I think you’ve been outvoted, Ruth. They can help Maggie and me make cookies and watch videos afterward. You come on in, too. I’ll make us some coffee.”

Ruth relented and let the girls out of the car. Jess was a good friend—pretty much her only friend. It wasn’t easy to bond with other women when you were being controlled and abused at home or when your husband was known to be in prison. Jess was the youth counselor for the school district. She’d supported Ruth and her children through the difficult period of Ed’s trial and the divorce. She’d even helped Ruth find her job. Ruth would always be grateful—especially for Jess’s genuine friendship.

With the girls skipping ahead of her, Ruth followed her friend into the remodeled ranch house. It was the kind of place Ruth had always dreamed of having—a cheery fireplace, a few live plants, shelves of books and a rack of music CDs, rugs, and cushions in warm colors. Trevor’s border collie, Glory, dozing in front of the fire, raised her head, then settled back to sleep.

One door off the hallway was closed. “Cooper asked me to give you his best,” Jess said. “He’s bucking a deadline on one of his magazine articles. But don’t worry, kid noises never bother him. Have a seat on the sofa. I’ll have some coffee ready in a jiffy.”

“Oh, please don’t bother,” Ruth said. “I need to be going soon. I just wanted to spend a minute with you and make sure the girls were settled.”

“Your girls will be fine. They’ve already found Maggie in the kitchen. But as long as you’re leaving soon, maybe you can drop the boys off at the Rankin place. They were planning to walk, but the wind is chilly out there. I can pick them up in a couple of hours.”

“Of course.” Ruth felt as if a clock had stopped inside her, the gears jammed and refusing to move. She forced a smile. “What will the boys be doing there?”

“When he last came by, Judd mentioned needing to clean out his storeroom. When Trevor offered to help, Judd took him up on it. Trevor’s excited because, as he says, there’s some cool stuff in that storeroom. And he’s hoping Judd will show him some of his work.”

“So he’s not expecting Skip to come along?” Ruth forced her tight throat to form words.

“Not unless Trevor told him. But he won’t mind. He’s a nice man—although he’s not very sociable. We only got to know him after he rented our pasture for his cows.”

“All the same, Skip wasn’t invited. Maybe I should just take him home and bring him another time.”

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