Page 44 of The Sound of Sleighbells

As Judd pulled up to Abner’s house and climbed out of the truck, Maggie ran to him from the porch. Distress was written all over her face. “Abner’s in the kitchen,” she said. “Skip’s trying to make him feel better, but he’s really hurting.”

“Has anybody called nine-one-one?” He mounted the porch at a stride.

“Not yet. We wanted you here first. Skip tried to call his mom, but she didn’t answer. She’s probably driving. Come on.”

They rushed into the house. Abner lay faceup on the kitchen floor with a cushion under his head. The dog crouched at his side, nuzzling his hand. Skip knelt by his head.

“Howdy, Judd. Sorry you have to see me like this.” Abner’s eyes were open, his gaze alert. But he was clearly in severe pain.

“What happened, Abner?” Judd leaned over him.

“Damned knee. I turned to get something out of the fridge, and it just gave way. I went down like a sack of rocks.”

“Where’s the pain?”

“Hell, all over. But mostly my back. Not sure if anything’s broken, but if I try to get up, it hurts like blazes.”

“Okay, just lie still.” Judd glanced at Skip. “Get on the phone and call nine-one-one. We mustn’t try to move him without a stretcher. That could do more damage.”

Skip went to the wall phone. A moment later, Judd heard him describing Abner’s condition. Maggie had gone back outside, probably to wait for Ruth.

The hospital was in Cottonwood Springs, an hour away. But Branding Iron had its own satellite station with a fire engine that doubled as an ambulance and a rotating crew with paramedic training. It shouldn’t take them long to get here.

“If I have to go to the hospital, I’ll need somebody to take care of Butch, here. He’s never been left alone.”

“Don’t worry, Abner. I’ll take care of your dog,” Judd said. “I’ll watch your property, too. You won’t have to worry about a thing except getting better.”

“The parade . . .” he muttered. “You’ll need to find a new Santa.”

“It’s too soon to worry about that. Just rest.” Abner had been a magical Santa. He’d be hard to replace. But that wasn’t Judd’s worry. Right now, nothing mattered except getting the old man the best possible care.

Ruth burst in through the front door. Alerted by Maggie, she rushed to the kitchen. “How can I help you, Abner?” She dropped to her knees next to him. “What can I do for you?”

“For starters, you can stop fussing over me,” Abner grumbled. “One way or another, I’ll get through this.”

“We’ve called an ambulance, Ruth,” Judd said. “They should be here soon. Somebody will need to be with him at the hospital. Since you’ve got your children, that will be me. I’ll follow the ambulance in my truck and see that he’s taken care of.”

She reached for his hand. Her slim, strong fingers gripped his for a moment. “Thank you, Judd. This man is like a father to me and a grandfather to my children.”

“Stop it, girl. You’re makin’ me blubber,” Abner muttered.

Ruth caught her son’s attention across the room. “Skip, please go out and make sure your sisters stay in the car. With the ambulance coming, we don’t need them running around, getting in the way.”

“Got it.” Skip headed for the door.

“Oh, and Skip—” Judd twisted his house key from the ring. “I left the shop unlocked. When you leave here, could you swing by and lock the doors for me? I’ve got a spare key, so you can keep this one for now.”

“Sure. I’ll say a prayer for you, Abner.” He caught the key Judd tossed him. As he headed out the door, the ambulance, its siren fading to a whine, pulled into the yard and backed up to the porch. Skip directed the paramedics to the kitchen before joining his sisters in the station wagon.

Working efficiently, the two husky men checked Abner’s vital signs and eased him onto the stretcher. He grimaced with pain as they lifted him.

“You’re in good hands, Abner,” Judd reassured him. “I’ll be driving my truck to meet you at the hospital.”

“You’ll take care of Butch?” Abner asked to make sure.

“We’ll spoil him.” Ruth leaned over Abner and kissed his cheek. Then the two men carried the stretcher out the door to the waiting ambulance.

Judd, Ruth, and Maggie stood on the porch watching as the ambulance drove out through the gate. Butch gave a long, mournful whimper as the brake lights vanished down the lane with his master.

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