The preacher’s wife sang “Mary, Did You Know?” Cold chill bumps raced down Sage’s backbone. She wondered if Creed’s momma had known when she had him if one day he’d leave her and move away hundreds of miles to a big hole in the ground. If she realized the effect that he would have on one woman in that canyon.
Then the preacher sat down on the edge of the altar at the front of the church and motioned for the little children to join him. A couple of little girls sat on his knees and the others gathered around him in a circle. One thing the canyon did was produce kids, and lots of them had skin the color of Creed’s. That lightly toasted color that testified to Hispanic blood.
He told them that the legend of the poinsettia came from Mexico and went on to talk about a little girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo and how they looked forward to the Christmas festival.
She’d heard the story so often that she could read it back to the preacher without looking at the words, so her thoughts veered off in another direction. Her hand tucked into Creed’s felt right and good, but how had it all happened?
Magic, Grand’s voice said in her ears.
The story ended and the preacher asked eight children to carry pots of poinsettias to various parts of the church. The other children raced back to their parents and the preacher took his place behind the podium to tell the story of the shepherds and the birth of Christ.
“And this morning the church gets dressed in its Christmas apparel. The Christmas tree has been brought to stand in our sanctuary. This day for the first time its lights will shine on us. While the children bring their ornaments to hang on the tree, we will sing ‘Away in a Manger.’ Let your voices resound with the glory of the season.”
Sage and Creed held the program between them, their voices blending with the other members of the church at the backside of Lawton Pierce’s property. When the song ended, one little boy flipped a switch and the lights on the tree sparkled.
“Beautiful,” Creed whispered in Sage’s ear.
The heat from his breath sent instant flutters all the way to her stomach. She nodded in agreement but her thoughts were not on the sparkling Christmas tree, but rather on the shiny surface of a freshly cleaned credenza in their house.
Their house!
Lord Almighty, and I’m not swearing right here in the church house but asking, where did that come from? She looked toward the ceiling.
The preacher talked about preparing the communion table. He removed the old cloth and replaced it with one with embroidered poinsettias on it that matched the curtain in the kitchen. Someone’s grandmother from ages past had embroidered it for the season no doubt.
Then a teenage girl came forward. She wore a lovely crimson-red velvet dress and cowboy boots. She took her place behind the podium and read about the lighting of the candles as three other girls her age lit candles in the windows and on the communion table. With each candle that was lit, the congregation read the responsive reading from the program.
Sage was amazed at how well Creed fit right into the whole program. “Have you done this before?”
“Many times. I used to be the one who read that passage that she’s reading right now,” he whispered.
“As we light these candles we symbolize God, Emmanuel, God with us. His peace and joy comes through the illumination of His message of love,” the young lady said and went back to her seat.
There were five more readers. Cedar branches and holly were placed on the communion table. Wreaths were hung in the windows and on the front of the pulpit. At the end of the last reading the children came forward and sang “Little Drummer Boy.” Then the whole congregation stood and read the ending prayer together.
“We dedicate our lives and all that we have to the work of life, of love, of peace. Receive our gifts and lead us in wisdom and courage. Amen.”
Sage felt naked when Creed dropped her hand to shake with the preacher. Half of her was suddenly gone and then his other arm was around her waist. In that moment she realized that Creed was a part of her and that he was never leaving.
“You are no stranger to the Hangin’ of the Green, are you?” The preacher pumped Creed’s hand up and down. “I’m Willard Dumas. I preach up in a church in Claude on Sunday morning, but these folks needed someone to come down here, so we set up a Sunday afternoon service. Glad to see you in church with Sage. Give Ada our best when you talk to her.”
“I will surely do that. I’m Creed Riley, the new owner of the Rockin’ C next week when Miz Ada returns from her trip and we get the papers signed.”
The preacher leaned in. “Don’t let your spirits rise too high, son. Ada’s got a lot of memories invested on that ranch. I’m not sure she’ll really sell out when she gets to thinking about it.”
Sage’s heart twisted up into a pretzel. What was she going to do if Grand did change her mind and Creed left the canyon? Just when she’d found her soul mate, would he be jerked out of her life?
* * *
Creed stood to one side and let the ladies and Lawton go ahead of him into the ranch house. It still looked intimidating even in daylight, but not so much as it had the night before with all the lights glowing brightly.
What surprised him was the intimacy of the dining room setting as compared
